33 Killed as Afghan fighting rages: 25 militants, 5 Afghan soldiers, 2 French tr...
Afghan fighting rages
GI, 2 French troops, 25 militants killed
Ap, afp, Kandahar
Suspected Taliban rebels ambushed two Afghan army convoys and US forces in the country's south, sparking gunbattles that killed at least 25 militants, five Afghan soldiers and a US soldier, coalition forces said yesterday.
Six American soldiers also were wounded. The latest bloodletting comes just days after a 24-hour storm of violence across Afghanistan killed some 120 people. The fighting was among the heaviest since the ouster of the Taliban in 2001 and has raised fears for this country's future.
Two French commandos were killed and a third was wounded in combat on Saturday in Afghanistan, a French military source told AFP.
"Two French special forces soldiers were killed and one wounded in Afghanistan during fierce fighting on Saturday morning," the source said on condition of anonymity.
He did not say how or where the soldiers were killed.
The fiercest fighting erupted late Friday in Helmand province, the country's main opium poppy growing region, where drug profits are believed to fund the insurgency. Six militants and an Afghan soldier were killed, said Gen. Rehmatullah Raufi, the head of the Afghan military's southern region.
It then continued into Saturday morning, with rebels ambushing a large army convoy, setting off a shootout that left 15 Taliban and four Afghan soldiers dead, an army commander said on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the media.
Hundreds of reinforcements were deployed to the area and the rebels fled on motorbikes and foot, he said.
Defence Ministry spokesman Gen. Zahir Azimi confirmed that four soldiers had been killed, and he said 20 rebels were either dead or wounded.
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Iraq- 46 Killed in Continuing Violence
May 20 (Reuters) - The following are security and political developments in Iraq on Saturday as of 0530 GMT.
Iraqi leaders hope to inaugurate a government of national unity on Saturday aimed at stemming violence.
BAGHDAD - A bomb killed 19 people in east Baghdad among a crowd of Shi'ite labourers gathered to look for work on Saturday, police said.
BAGHDAD - The death toll from clashes between police commandos and insurgents in Jihad District, southwestern Baghdad, rose to six civilians killed and five wounded, interior ministry sources said. Two police were among the wounded.
NEAR AL-UDHAIM - A man and his wife were killed and three of their children wounded when gunmen broke into their house and opened fire in Al-Udhaim, the town about 100 km (68 miles) north of Baghdad, police said. The motives are unknown.
POLITICAL DEVELOPMENTS
BAGHDAD - Parliament is due to sit at 11 a.m. (0700 GMT) to confirm a new government, launching a crucial new phase in the U.S.-backed project to install democracy.
Link Here
GI, 2 French troops, 25 militants killed
Ap, afp, Kandahar
Suspected Taliban rebels ambushed two Afghan army convoys and US forces in the country's south, sparking gunbattles that killed at least 25 militants, five Afghan soldiers and a US soldier, coalition forces said yesterday.
Six American soldiers also were wounded. The latest bloodletting comes just days after a 24-hour storm of violence across Afghanistan killed some 120 people. The fighting was among the heaviest since the ouster of the Taliban in 2001 and has raised fears for this country's future.
Two French commandos were killed and a third was wounded in combat on Saturday in Afghanistan, a French military source told AFP.
"Two French special forces soldiers were killed and one wounded in Afghanistan during fierce fighting on Saturday morning," the source said on condition of anonymity.
He did not say how or where the soldiers were killed.
The fiercest fighting erupted late Friday in Helmand province, the country's main opium poppy growing region, where drug profits are believed to fund the insurgency. Six militants and an Afghan soldier were killed, said Gen. Rehmatullah Raufi, the head of the Afghan military's southern region.
It then continued into Saturday morning, with rebels ambushing a large army convoy, setting off a shootout that left 15 Taliban and four Afghan soldiers dead, an army commander said on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the media.
Hundreds of reinforcements were deployed to the area and the rebels fled on motorbikes and foot, he said.
Defence Ministry spokesman Gen. Zahir Azimi confirmed that four soldiers had been killed, and he said 20 rebels were either dead or wounded.
Link Here
Iraq- 46 Killed in Continuing Violence
May 20 (Reuters) - The following are security and political developments in Iraq on Saturday as of 0530 GMT.
Iraqi leaders hope to inaugurate a government of national unity on Saturday aimed at stemming violence.
BAGHDAD - A bomb killed 19 people in east Baghdad among a crowd of Shi'ite labourers gathered to look for work on Saturday, police said.
BAGHDAD - The death toll from clashes between police commandos and insurgents in Jihad District, southwestern Baghdad, rose to six civilians killed and five wounded, interior ministry sources said. Two police were among the wounded.
NEAR AL-UDHAIM - A man and his wife were killed and three of their children wounded when gunmen broke into their house and opened fire in Al-Udhaim, the town about 100 km (68 miles) north of Baghdad, police said. The motives are unknown.
POLITICAL DEVELOPMENTS
BAGHDAD - Parliament is due to sit at 11 a.m. (0700 GMT) to confirm a new government, launching a crucial new phase in the U.S.-backed project to install democracy.
Link Here
posted by Kangaroo Brisbane Australia at 1:51 AM
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